Penn State basketball sees winning streak snapped at Northwestern

After starting the month of February on a hot streak, Penn State basketball (12-12, 6-7 Big Ten) went cold Sunday, falling to Northwestern 68-63 in Evanston. Looking to match a season-high four-game winning streak, the Nittany Lions couldn’t overcome a poor shooting and uncharacteristically sloppy ball control performance to get the victory. Mike Rhoades must now prepare his team for a quick turnaround with a daunting stretch to close out the month.

Nittany Lions can’t take advantage of opportunities in loss to Northwestern

Mike Rhoades had Penn State playing arguably the best basketball in the conference coming into the weekend. Coming off three double-digit point wins, the Nittany Lions were looking to join Purdue as the only other Big Ten team to have a three-game winning streak on the road this season.

After a back-and-forth first half, it quickly became evident that it wasn’t going to be the Nittany Lions’ afternoon. The Wildcats took the lead at the 16-minute mark in the second half and would not relinquish it again.

Penn State hung around, but could not take advantage of a Northwestern cold streak to complete the comeback. After shooting north of 50% in the last two games, the Nittany Lions shot 44% on the afternoon. The Lions were also uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball on the offensive end, surrendering 11 turnovers after coming into the day ranked in the top 10 nationally in turnover margin.

Ace Baldwin continued his personal hot streak, scoring 17 points on 4-13 shooting with 8 assists. Kayne Clary struggled off the bench in his second game back from injury. Penn State’s leading scorer tallied no points and only one assist in 14 minutes played.

The loss is the second of the season to Northwestern for Penn State basketball, after falling to the Wildcats 76-72 at home on January 10.

Gauntlet ahead for Penn State basketball

Mike Rhoades won’t have much time to let his team lick its wounds, with a difficult stretch of basketball on the horizon. Penn State basketball returns home on Wednesday to face Michigan State, who blew out the Nittany Lions by 31 points on January 4. The Spartans are fresh off a win against No. 10 Illinois on Saturday.

Sunday started a stretch of four consecutive Quad 1 games for the Nittany Lions. Mike Rhoades takes his squad on the road again next weekend to play Nebraska, followed by a date with Illinois in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Mike Rhoades has brought his team a long way in terms of mental toughness following a difficult month of basketball in January. But with so many consequential games still to play, the most challenging tests for Penn State basketball still lie ahead.

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